Terminator: The John Connor Chronicles
by Slint
Summary: My vision of what a 3rd season of TSCC could have been like. John brings Cameron back with the help of Mrs. Weaver and John Henry. But don't worry, it won't be easy.
1. Found

I don't own anything related to Terminator.

This starts immediately after the ending of Born to Run. Yes, I know that everyone and their mother are doing a season 3 fic and you're probably really sick of them, but I wanted to give it a shot. Please review, or just leave a comment. It means a lot, really.

* * *

"So, what was your name, kid? John?" Derek asked gruffly.

"Yeah. John. John Connor," John replied, hardly able to believe that those words would come out of Derek's mouth. He knew that because of time travel this Derek obviously wouldn't recognize him, but it only served to remind John that the Derek that he had known for so long was dead. And nothing, not even this Derek, could change that.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Derek asked, "You look pretty well fed."

"I think he's a gray," a Resistance fighter that John didn't know called out.

"I'm not a gray, I swear," John said, the day's events finally sinking in as a surge of exhaustion overtook him.

"Chris, not every survivor we find is a gray," Allison said sharply, "Sorry John. We have to be careful. You never know if someone is a Terminator, or a gray, or whatever."

"Yeah, no one is every safe," John said, mumbling slightly as he reminded himself of his mom.

"Well, we could use you," Kyle said, sighing.

"What? Are you crazy?" Chris asked fiercely, "What if he's a gray? What if he leads every goddamn Terminator in a ten-mile radius to our base?"

"Shut it, Chris," Derek said violently. Chris looked at Derek with fire in his eyes, but he didn't say anything more.

"I'm not a gray!" John said, annoyed by Chris's behavior, "What do I have to do to prove that to you? Kill a Terminator by myself?"

"Alright," Kyle said, "It's your lucky day, John. You're coming with us."

* * *

John followed the Resistance fighters back to their base, which was a refitted bunker. It was hidden well; John thought that it was abandoned before two guards opened the heavy door from the inside when Kyle approached. The inside of the bunker was poorly lit, casting everyone's faces in dark, inky shadows. There was a constant swirl of dust and everything in the bunker - the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the people – looked filthy. There were people strewn about the bunker, gnawing on rat meat or cleaning guns. They looked up with tired eyes, and many looked at John suspiciously.

Kyle finally stopped walking, and turned to look at John. "Okay John, we're going to trust you. But if you do anything that makes us think that you're a gray, I'll be the first to put a bullet through your head," Kyle said, staring at John intensely, "Understand?"

"Yes," John said, nodding, "If I do anything that helps Skynet, I'll load the gun myself."

"I like this kid," Derek said, grinning.

"Well then," Kyle said, scratching his head, "Allison, could you show him around?"

"Yes, sir," Allison said.

"With all due respect, I still think you're making a mistake, Kyle," Chris said.

"Look, Chris, if you don't like my decisions you're welcome to leave this bunker," Kyle said. Chris simply strode off, still furious.

"John, come with me," Allison said. John simply nodded and followed her. Kyle and Derek walked off into the depths of the bunker.

Allison took John to the different rooms in the bunker. Even though it was dirty and run-down, Kyle was lucky to have found something that would provide such good protection from Skynet. It was also big enough to accommodate quite a few people. There was a cafeteria, sleeping quarters, a makeshift infirmary, an armory, a last-resort panic room, and even a nursery for any young children that were saved by the Resistance. The nursery was in the very back of the bunker just in case a Terminator managed to break in. And that's where John and Allison, along with a mother and her child, were when they heard gunshots and screaming.

"Oh my God, what is that?" the mother asked with fearful eyes, clutching her crying child.

"A Terminator must have gotten in," Allison said softly, turning to face John.

"We have to get to the armory," John said, heading to the door.

"We can't leave Jasmine alone," Allison said, gesturing to the mother who looked about ready to cry herself.

"Do you have any weapons on you?" John asked.

"Yeah, my plasma pistol, but…" Allison said, gripping the holster tightly.

"Good," John said, "I'll go to the armory. Alone."

"But John…"

"Don't worry. I'll be back," John said, smiling in an attempt to calm Allison and Jasmine down. And with that, he silently left the room.

John made his way down the hallways of the bunker silently. He could hear gunfire mixed with the futuristic-sounding burst of plasma weapons, but they still sounded far away. He had already memorized the layout of the bunker. It was one of the skills he had picked up from always moving around in an attempt to avoid Skynet's grasp. He quickly reached the armory and noiselessly opened the door. He quickly scanned the rows of weapons and grabbed the most impressive rifle he could find. He left the armory and saw Chris and Kyle rush past him.

"Kyle, where's the Terminator?" John called out.

"It's the fucking gray!" Chris said, and trained his gun on John.

"Wait, no…" John said, foolishly still gripping his rifle tightly.

"John, who is in the nursery?" Kyle asked, his eyes blazing.

"Allison and…and Jasmine," John replied, "Why?"

"The Terminator came this way," Kyle said, "Why did you leave them alone?"

_It came this way? _John thought, suddenly fearful. _I didn't hear a thing!_

"I wanted to destroy the Terminator before it could get to the nursery," John said, "I thought that the Terminator was further away."

"Well, it wasn't!" Kyle yelled. He sighed. "I'm sorry John," he said. He drew his rifle back. The last thing John remembered was a flash of metal as Kyle struck him across the forehead with the butt of his rifle. John crumpled to the ground.

* * *

John woke up in a darkened room. There was a single light bulb glowing dimly above him, throwing ominous shadows across the room. There was a dull pain in his head, and he groaned in pain. Looking down, he saw that he was bound to a crude wooden chair. Coarse rope dug at his skin. His eyes widened. He tried to remember what happened. _Oh god, _John thought, _they think that I led the Terminator to the bunker. _


	2. Lost

I want to thank the users Dragon_Seraphin, TSCCandTwilightarehebest, XxDeathStarxX, jock wizard, al-caprioni, kaotic, and Velhu for the reviews!

This chapter is kind of short but I really wanted to update before final exams (which are next week for me, ugh). But after school's over I'll be able to update much more often! So stay tuned and leave reviews/comments!

* * *

"So, John, you want to tell me where your metal buddy took Allison?" Derek said, stalking around the dark room menacingly.

"What? It took Allison?" John asked, fearful. _Oh God, history seems to be repeating itself, _John thought, panicked, _Or maybe Mrs. Weaver got her. _John desperately wanted Cameron back, but not like this.

"You want to play, John? Fine. We can play," Derek snarled. He drew his fist back and struck John across his face. He could feel the knuckles of Derek's fist crashing against his cheek. John's eyes widened in pain and he frantically strained against the ropes that held his arms in place. "Where is she?" Derek yelled.

"I don't know!" John screamed, blood and spittle flying from his mouth.

"You don't know," Derek said, pacing around the room, "So the Terminator attack was just a coincidence? That it happened the same day we take in a healthy, well-fed teenager is just chance? That you left her alone just as the Terminator went to the nursery and you somehow didn't notice it walking right past you?"

"I swear, I didn't have anything to do with the attack," John said desperately.

"That's not good enough, John," Derek said darkly, "Fine. Maybe you can answer this. What does Skynet want with Allison?"

John's breath caught in his throat. John didn't know exactly why Skynet wanted Allison, but he had a pretty good idea. To him, it was obvious that Skynet probably wanted to make an infiltrator with Allison as the template. But if he told Derek, he would be certain that John's a gray and would kill him. But if he didn't, then Derek would probably kill him anyway. _Well, if I can't get out of this alive, then maybe I could help Allison, _John thought sadly.

"Skynet's going to use her to make an Infiltrator," John said quietly

"What?" Derek asked, surprised that his prisoner was actually answering his questions so soon.

"A Terminator that looks and talks just like her. They're going to torture her to find out all she knows, and that Infiltrator is going to come here and pretend to be Allison to get through your defenses. And then it's going to kill everyone here," John said somberly.

"Why thank you, John," Derek said dryly. He then drew his fist back again, preparing to strike John again. John breathed deeply and closed his eyes. Suddenly, there was a screech of metal against metal and the sound of people screaming. _Another Terminator attack? _John thought. Derek immediately turned around, his fist still clenched. But as soon as the screaming and screeching started, it stopped. John and Derek were completely still, straining to hear something that would help them understand what was going on. For a long time, there was nothing. Silence. Derek slowly reached for the gun in his waistband. His eyes widened as he heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps. They were faint at first, but they grew louder with each passing second. They stopped just in front of the door. In the heavy silence that pervaded the room, they could hear hands being placed on the door. And then, the door was flung off of its hinges and flew through the room, barely missing John as it skidded to the back wall. John could barely believe his eyes when he saw Mrs. Weaver walk slowly through the now-empty door frame, her face cast in shadows. She scanned the room, her eyes eventually resting on John.

"Mr. Connor? It's time to go," Mrs. Weaver said.

* * *

"That was pretty impressive. How'd you find me?" John asked, slightly breathless. Only a liquid-metal Terminator could break in and out of a well-protected Resistance bunker so quickly.

"When we arrived in this time, I followed you to the bunker," Mrs. Weaver explained.

"You did?" John asked.

"Of course," Mrs. Weaver explained, "I wouldn't take you into the future, thusly erasing your perceived existence for 18 years, and not take some precautions."

"Right, of course. And what about the Terminator?" John, "You couldn't stop it?"

"I thought that you would have been safe at the bunker for a longer period of time," Mrs. Weaver said, "I was searching for John Henry when the Terminator attacked.."

"Fine," John said, trying to hide his frustration, "Where is he?"

"John Henry has taken over Skynet manufacturing section CA-13," Mrs. Weaver said.

"Okay," John said, "Good. But we need to get Allison first."

"I agree," Mrs. Weaver responded.

"Do you know where she is?" John asked, anxious for the answer. He felt awful for leaving Allison in the nursery. The least he could do was save her from the clutches of Skynet.

"No," Mrs. Weaver responded. John's face fell. "But, it is very likely that Skynet took her to the Century City work camp."

"Work camp?" John asked nervously. He certainly couldn't imagine a place worse than a Skynet work camp.

* * *

John Connor and Catherine Weaver made their way across the ruins of Los Angeles. If it were really the city of angels at one point, God had certainly forsaken it. None of John's nightmares had come close to capturing the horror of walking, alive, through a dead city. The buildings were twisted, horrible skeletons that barely resembled their former selves. The glass windows that had once looked so sleek and modern were cracked and broken, reflecting the wasteland a hundred times over. Rubble covered the once-busy streets, turning the cityscape into something akin to mountainous terrain. There were remnants of the world that once was, though. Burnt up magazines, shells of cars, and the occasional stuffed animal were all strewn about the city. But it all looked so ancient, like relics from an ancient civilization. The only thing that moved here, besides John and Mrs. Weaver, were the Terminators. But they were merely drones of Skynet, hardly more alive than the slain buildings around them.

In the distance, John and Mrs. Weaver heard the shifting of rubble. They both froze, expecting a Terminator to lumber towards them. Mrs. Weaver's arms transformed into sleek, silver blades and John gripped his plasma rifle tightly, both ready to reduce any Terminator to a pile of burning Coltan. They waited for what felt like an eternity to John. He hardly dared to breath, worried that a Terminator might hear it. When nothing appeared, they cautiously resumed walking, ever alert for the presence of Terminators. Each step John took only helped to remind him of why he had to try so hard to stop Skynet. It was disgusting. All of this death and destruction , and for what? So Skynet could rule an empty planet, with legions of Terminators to do whatever it wished?

"John, we are approximately 2…get down!" Mrs. Weaver said, shaking John from his thoughts.

John didn't question her order. Mrs. Weaver was much better than he was at spotting threats. And in LA, it's always better to be safe than sorry. Mrs. Weaver was right, of course. A sleek Hunter/Killer streaked through the sky above them, no doubt heading to the Century City work camp. John watched, breathless, as quickly vanished from sight.

"It's safe," Mrs. Weaver announced, standing up, "As I was saying, we are approximately 2.1 miles from the work camp."

"Alright," John said, nodding, "How are we going to break in?"

"I have a couple of plans," Mrs. Weaver said, walking resolutely towards the work camp once again.

John decided not to question her and started walking as well, each step bringing him closer to Allison, and ultimately, Cameron.

* * *

The Century City work camp quickly came into view. There were Hunter/Killers buzzing in the sky like gnats and massive HK-tanks lumbering in front of the work camp. The entire facility was closed off by towering lengths of barbed wire, and the only entrance that John could see was guarded by two Terminators. John could see more Terminators patrolling the area, no doubt keeping the prisoners in a constant state of fear. The Terminators were large and bulky, probably older models than Uncle Bob himself. The prisoners were all dressed in the same, gray material that made them nearly impossible to distinguish from the city around them. They moved slowly, weakened from hours of work and not enough food. Massive spotlights searched the area, looking for anything in the air or on the ground trying to break out, or heaven forbid, break in. John hoped that Mrs. Weaver's plan to break in and out would work.


	3. Allison from Palmdale

A/N: I finally finished this chapter! I thought I'd get a lot more done during the summer, but I got my wisdom teeth out on Tuesday and spent most of the week on pain meds (and I played Mass Effect when I should have been writing 'cuz that game is awesome)...but I did finally buckle down and finish this chapter. I made this one longer because...I wanted it to be. Yeah, I'm not feeling very coherent this morning. Anyway, happy reading and please, please leave a comment/review!

* * *

Allison stood shivering in the cold, just inside of the electrified fence that surrounded the Century City work camp. There were nine people with her, all of them huddling together with terrified expressions on their grimy faces. Most of the nine people were strong, able-bodied men and women, but there was an elderly couple holding a young child close to themselves. They had been forced through the entrance of the camp hours ago and had been waiting for something to happen ever since. Allison observed that there were T-600s with miniguns in lieu of forearms that patrolled the exterior of the camp; other than that, there was no movement. The ruined city was eerily silent. There was no wind, so everything stood still, as if the whole city was waiting along with Allison for something to happen. The silence was unnerving; Allison kept scanning the distance for movement even though she knew that there was probably nothing out there. Nothing ever wandered too close to a Skynet work camp. The sun had set long ago; and that darkness unnerved Allison even more. She shut her eyes tightly, wishing that she could return to the relative safety of the bunker.

She was shaken from her wishful thinking by a man's loud voice. She knew right away that the voice was human, as it held none of the stiffness and awkwardness of a Terminator. But a loud, confident, human voice within the work camp only meant one thing, a traitorous, disgusting Gray. The only thing that Allison hated more than Skynet was the Grays. How any human could side with Skynet was beyond her. She clenched her fists, praying that she wouldn't do anything too rash.

"Hello everyone," the man said, a wide smile on his face, "Welcome to Century City."

The man was thin, but was obviously well-fed. He had an odd cheerfulness about him, which disgusted Allison even more. He wore a stark, gray uniform that made him blend in with the concrete around him. He had bright, blue eyes that contrasted with everything around him and shone like sapphires, twinkling with the light of the stars and the searchlights. They were deceptively pretty, totally hiding the true nature of the man.

"My name is Joseph Steinem," he said, spreading his hands wide, "You are in Century City work camp processing. It is my job to show you around and explain what you are supposed to do. Or, you could join the great Skynet, and you won't be forced to do awful, back-straining labor."

"I'd rather die than join scum like you," Allison growled though clenched teeth, her voice clear and harsh.

"Oh, I think that's fairly certain," Joseph said apologetically, blue eyes twinkling.

"I wouldn't be so sure of it," Allison said confidently, her brown eyes meeting Joseph's blue eyes. They stared at each other intensely for a few moments. After a short while, Joseph broke off the impromptu staring match and smiled.

"You are a bold one," Joseph replied warmly. Allison said nothing in response; she simply glared at him angrily. He sighed and scanned the group of people, not wanting to deal with Allison any longer. His gaze eventually settled upon the elderly couple and their young grandchild. Gesturing to them, he spoke up again, "You three, what are your names?"

"I'm Kyle Jackson," the young child said, voice shaking.

"Nice to meet you, Kyle," Joseph said with such false kindness that it made Allison's stomach churn. Joseph smiled sweetly and asked another question, "What are your grandparent's names, Kyle?"

"Michael and Jennifer, sir," Kyle replied timidly.

"Well then, it's a pleasure. Kyle, why don't you, Michael, and Jennifer follow this nice robot, hmm?" Joseph commanded, gesturing for a T-600 to come and escort them away. Joseph stepped aside and gave instructions to the Terminator, pointing to a small building with a smokestack that was off to the side of the camp. The Terminator nodded once and stared at Kyle, Michael, and Jennifer with shining, blood-red eyes for a moment, and strode away to the building with a smokestack. The three followed the Terminator timidly, not sure of what was going to happen to them. Allison watched them with a worried expression on her face, knowing that nothing good would happen to them.

When they were out of earshot, Joseph smiled sadly and addressed the remaining people. "I'm afraid that they aren't fit for work at Century City," he said forlornly, "They are in better hands now."

"You mean you killed 'em, right?" A tough-looking man said gruffly.

"Yes, you are right," Joseph said calmly, "Now, follow me please; we have much to do tonight."

And with that Joseph strode off into the camp, heading for a nondescript gray building. Allison looked at the group of people nervously, and started following Joseph. The rest did as well, scared that disobedience meant an early death at the hands of the Terminators.

* * *

"Young lady, what's your name?" Joseph asked conversationally, gesturing at Allison. The group had stopped at the entrance of the gray building. Joseph stood with his back against the imposing double doors that led to the interior of the building, addressing the frightened group of people.

"It's Allison," she replied, her voice betraying none of her fear, "And I'm sure it's a fucking pleasure for you to meet me."

"Why yes," Joseph said, unfazed by Allison's behavior, "Since you are so brave, I think that you should be the first to enter this building."

"Why me? Is it haunted or something?" Allison asked, voice dripping with sarcasm, "You want someone brave like me to scare off the ghosts for you?"

"Just follow me, please," Joseph said, pushing the double doors open. Allison, putting on a brave face despite her nervousness, entered the building with Joseph close behind her. He led her into a small room with a chair in the very center. There was an odd machine attached to one of the arms of the chair. It looked like a small, metal box. Wires ran from its sides to the floor. Allison cocked her head, confused.

"Now Allison, I want you to sit down and put your arm in that box, okay?"

She nodded, sitting down on the chair and gingerly sliding her forearm into the box. When she was settled in, Joseph crouched beside the chair and pressed a small red button that was on one of the sides of the box. There was a beeping noise and a whir as the machinery inside the box started up. For a few tense seconds, nothing happened. But suddenly, Allison felt a sharp burning sensation on her forearm. She bit her lip, not wanting to give Joseph the pleasure of hearing her scream in pain. The burning got worse, like someone had set fire to every cell in her skin. Her eyes were watering from the pain, sweat trickled down her face and she was biting her lip so hard that she drew blood, but she did not make a noise. Joseph almost looked disappointed.

"Okay, take your arm out," he commanded, standing up.

Allison carefully pulled her arm out of the strange box. Her eyes widened as she saw what the box had done to her forearm. There was a tattoo in the shape of a barcode emblazoned on her forearm. Joseph smiled wickedly as he watched Allison gingerly touch the barcode tattoo, as if she wanted to make sure that it was all real and not some horrible dream.

"Now, follow me please," Joseph said, leading her out of the room, "We have to get you all working. At the end of this hall there is an exit, go outside and wait for the others."

Allison nodded, her arm still burning. She headed down the hall and out the exit, still clutching her arm. She opened the door slowly. What was outside caught her breath in her throat. She stumbled back a few paces, hardly believing what she saw, but she could not look away. What she saw was this: people were shoveling bodies into furnaces. They were forced to shovel people into furnaces; to do Skynet's dirty work. T-600s watched them, making sure that they continued to do this awful work. The furnaces sent plumes of black smoke into the air, blotting out the glow of the moon. The people were dirty and grimy from the smoke, the soot erasing all traces of race. Their identical uniforms ensured that they all looked the same. Allison felt tears welling up at the corners of her eyes, hardly believing that something this awful would be forced on anybody. She fell on her knees, the braveness that she had when facing Joseph vanished, instead they were replaced by feelings of sadness and despair.

* * *

Eventually, the rest of the group was assembled outside of the building, forced to watch the horrors of the Skynet work camp. After a while, Joseph came strolling up casually observing the people who were shoveling bodies into furnaces, his hands upon his hips. Sighing dramatically, he turned and faced the group of people.

"Now, I think you all know what you are to do here," Joseph said, clasping his hands together, "I want you to know that if you refuse to work, the guards will kill you. You're all lucky; today's work shift will be over in an hour. We will, of course, provide you with food. You then get seven hours to sleep, and then it starts all over again! Good luck, everyone."

After he finished his short speech, he turned around and disappeared into the building they had all just left. Allison stared at the furnaces, feeling incapable of movement. But somewhere within her, she found the strength to move her limbs and headed slowly to the piles of human bodies and the awful furnaces. She heard footsteps behind her. The rest of the group was also moving towards the awful forced labor. Holding back tears and the foolish urge to run, she grabbed a body, hoisting it over her shoulder. The stench was awful and the body was heavier than she expected. Sobbing quietly, she felt her legs buckle beneath her. She fell to her knees, the body falling from her grasp. She covered her face with her hands, letting her tears flow freely. She knew that a Terminator would come and shoot her for not working, but she didn't care. She felt a hand touch her shoulder and she knew that it was all over, that she wouldn't be able to see Kyle, Derek, Jasmine, or anyone else again, and that she wouldn't be able to help the Resistance fight against Skynet. Allison turned around slowly, accepting her fate silently and calmly. However, it was not a Terminator that stood in front of her. It was a man, the tough-looking one that had spoken up against Joseph earlier. He offered her his hand, but she didn't want to take it. She sniffed, tears still forming wet lines of clean skin across her cheeks. The man crouched down in front of her.

"Hey. Allison, you can't give up," he said, "You can't ever give up. Even though you're probably thinking that all is lost right now, it's not. I can promise you that. Somebody out there's looking for you."

Allison finally looked up at the man. He was older than she; he was maybe thirty or forty years old. He had short brown hair and dazzling blue eyes, not twisted and deceitful like Joseph's, but plain and pure blue eyes. He was gruff-looking and grizzled, but he had a certain warmth about him. Allison felt better already

"What's your name?" Allison asked quietly, wiping tears away from her face.

"It's Nathan. Nathan Anderson," he said, smiling, "C'mon, we can do this together. I'll help you."

Nathan stood up and offered Allison his hand. She sniffed once more and took it, gracefully getting back on her feet. Together, they carried the body to the furnace. Nathan closed his eyes when the body hit the fiery belly of the furnace and Allison looked away, horrified by what Skynet was forcing them to do. The stench of burning hair and flesh was awful, but they simply had to endure it. Allison watched the smoke billow up, blotting out stars as it reached towards the heavens. Taking a deep breath, she turned around and gave Nathan a subtle nod. He nodded back and they carried another body into the furnace. They continued this process for what felt like an eternity, struggling under the weight of the corpses and the stinging of the acrid smoke and the foul stench of the piles of human bodies. Nathan and Allison were in the middle of swinging a body into a furnace when Joseph returned, with a smile on his face and his sapphire blue eyes still twinkling.

"Good work, people!" Joseph proclaimed, clapping his hands together enthusiastically, "Shift is over for tonight. Head to the sleeping area and you'll get your dinner."

"What I wouldn't give to punch that man..." Nathan said quietly to Allison. Allison grinned.

"And we'll start bright and early tomorrow morning, so get some rest," Joseph finished. He disappeared into the building once again.

Allison and Nathan followed the crowd of people to another building towards the back of the camp. The building contained just one massive, completely empty room, save for a handful of blankets and pillows. The floor was hard concrete, and Allison wondered how anyone could get any sleep on it, especially since the only padding available was the few blankets and pillows. Eventually, all of the prisoners in the work camp filed into the room, and most sat down immediately. Exhausted from the awful work they were forced to do, others milled around, unsure of what to do and too paranoid to talk. Allison and Nathan sat off to the side of the room with their backs against the wall, waiting for the food. Eventually, two T-600s lumbered towards the entrance of the building. One was carrying a barrel of slop; the other carried a stack of bowls. They put the items they were carrying down just inside of the building, and walked off quickly, no doubt having more important things to do than feed humans. The effect the barrel of slop had on the prisoners was incredible. Moments before, everyone looked lifeless and exhausted, but as soon as the T-600s brought the food, they all leapt up, knocking over one another as they fought to get just a small amount of nourishment. Nathan shook his head sadly.

Allison, however, had an idea.

Making her way to the front of the crowd, she screamed, "Enough! This is insane! We will not let Skynet reduce us to mere animals, fighting over slop! We'll all get in line and we will all get food. Does anyone have any problems with that?"

To Allison's surprise, everyone listened to her. They all organized themselves into a fairly orderly line, allowing everyone to get some food. Allison had usually stayed to the background while others gave orders. It was odd feelings to be a leader, to have others follow orders. She allowed herself a small grin, proud that she was able to bring some humanity back to these forsaken prisoners.

"Well, good job Allison," Nathan said, an awed expression on his face.

"Thanks, Nathan."

* * *

"So, Mrs. Weaver, what's this plan you had to get into the work camp?" John asked, watching the T-2s and T-600s patrol the outskirts of the Century City work camp.

"It involves the use of this unique plastic explosive, Mr. Connor," Mrs. Weaver replied. As she was saying this, her torso began to shimmer and opened up like a flower, revealing a small amount of Composition 4. It did somewhat disgust John, but he knew that the C4 would come in handy and that nobody else would've been able to transport the C4 so secretively.

"Oh, we could use that to blow up the old gas...Sorry, just...what was your plan?"

"I want to hear your idea, Mr. Connor."

"Are you sure? I mean, I'm not exactly General Connor."

"I know you're not. But if you never get to try, you'll never become General Connor."

"Uh, alright, I thought we could lure some of those T-2s and T-600s to that gas station we passed by, and use the C4 to take down the gas station around them," John explained, excited to talk about fighting back against the Terminators and not just running away, "You could use that as a distraction as you break into the camp."

"That's quite a risk you're taking," Mrs. Weaver remarked, her face an unreadable mask. _Can't ask for too much sympathy from Terminators, _John thought"

"I know, but you'll have a much easier time breaking through the electrified fence," John said, "And, it's about time I blew some Terminators to hell."

* * *

"Hey Allison," Nathan said, laying down on the rough concrete of the work camp prisoner's sleeping area, "G'night."

"Yeah, G'night Nathan," she said, trying to find some comfort between the hard concrete and the cool chill of the night sky. She eventually turned over and lay on her back, studying the patchwork ceiling of the barely standing building. Although the bunker had no great luxuries, she missed it greatly. Having been born just years before the bombs fell on Judgment Day, her only idea of home and its comfort came from the bunker, where she had spent most of her life so far. She sighed. Allison prayed that someone would come and rescue her and all of the ill-fated prisoners of Skynet.

* * *

John lay with his back against a large slab of concrete, hidden from the T-2s and T-600s. He took a deep breath and thought of everyone he had ever cared about. Charles Dixon, Kyle and Derek Reese, Uncle Bob, Cameron, Sarah Connor. The list was short, as it would be for someone who didn't know how to stay still, but he still held it dear to his heart. These people were those he had formed real relationships with, the ones who he would leave behind if this failed. The ones he would meet if he died. He clutched the detonator tightly, as if it and his plans of rescuing Cameron would be blown away by the wind.

"_On your feet, soldier!"_

With a nearly inhuman burst of confidence and adrenaline, he shot up and started screaming, attracting the attention of nearly all of the T-2s and T-600s. They advanced on him, weapons trained directly at his head. Before they could fire, he ran off. From the corner of his eye he could see Mrs. Weaver slink off, avoiding the detection of the Terminators. Now he could feel the heat of plasma blasts exploding all around him, sending showers of dust and concrete cascading around him. He held his arms over his head, trying to keep the dust from getting into his eyes. A blast of plasma caused the ground just in front of him to erupt in a flash of blue light. He jumped up, pieces of charred earth hitting him. He ignored the burning sensation and kept running. Now John was nearly at the gas station, and the T-2s were gaining on him. He quickly looked behind him to observe his pursuers. Luckily for Mrs. Weaver, both T-2s had decided to chase John. He turned forward again. He was at the gas station. As he turned to run into the small building that was once home to a convenience store, a blast of plasma hit his arm. He stumbled, his knees hitting the dirty ground. Half crawling, he pushed himself up, tears whipping from his face. With a roar, he leapt into the building and slammed his fist down on the detonator. He felt the heat of the explosion billow around him, but he was mostly unharmed. He had done it.

* * *

Allison stood up quickly, shaking the sleep from her eyes. Around her, people were also waking up, looking around confused. Outside, they could hear sounds of fighting; gunshots, explosions, plasma, the scrape of metal against metal. She looked at Nathan, who merely shrugged. Whatever was going on outside, it sounded like it was coming closer and closer.

Suddenly, something ripped a hole in the side of the wall. Dust and rubble shot into the room, causing a haze to cover everything in sight. Allison covered her mouth with her arm and started to cough. Whoever – or whatever - had broken into the prisoner's sleeping area meant business. Allison thought she saw a glimmer of sleek metal, but the haze made it hard to tell. Suddenly, she heard footsteps and the silhouette of a young man appeared at the new exit of the building. The lights from outside the building wreathed him with light. The young man stepped into the sleeping area and scanned the crowd. Eventually, his gaze rested on Allison. He slowly walked forward and offered her his hand.

"Come with me if you want to live."

* * *

Allison looked around the ruined work camp in awe. Amazingly, John Connor and whoever that woman was had managed to disable most of the guards. They were obviously very brave and just a little bit crazy. She just couldn't believe that she was getting out of the work camp so quickly. Not that she would miss it. She was especially glad to be away from Joseph, the disgusting gray that ran the place. She only hoped that he had perished in the onslaught the two rescuers wrought. Just then, she saw something moving in the corner of her eye. She thought it was just her eyes playing tricks on her. It was as if the gray concrete had started moving by itself. And then, she saw that it was not just her, it was Joseph. Trying to escape. Knowing that he would bring reinforcements to the area, she gave chase, wanting to get her revenge. She caught up quickly, tapping Joseph casually on the shoulder.

"Who is it...You! Get back! I'll have the Terminators rip you apart!" Joseph screamed, clearly frightened of the willful brunette.

"If you haven't noticed, you don't have any T-600s to protect your ass," Allison said, "So, where were you headed off to?"

"You expect me to tell you?"

"Not really," Allison stated, cracking her knuckles.

"Oh...well then..."

Before Joseph could say any more, Allison punched him square in the jaw. He spun around slowly a couple of times before falling to the ground, unconscious. _That felt good, _Allison thought, and ran to catch up with her fellow Century City work camp escapees.

* * *

A/N: Yup, more action in this chapter, more characters, more everything. I had to restrain the crazy action in this chapter because I don't want to lessen the effect of the truly epic battles I have planned for later chapters. (Oh, it's gonna be fun. Oh yes it is.). And yes, I do believe that Allison is badass enough to knock out a dude with one punch. Anyway, I'll try to update more quickly as the next couple of chapters probably won't be as long as this one. Oh, and could you guess who I was referencing with my character Nathan?


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